2012 election ballot is crowded

Wednesday

The ballot for the upcoming Nov. 6 General Election will take at least 20 to 30 minutes to complete if voters have not prepared by studying sample ballots or getting informed about each amendment.

First of several parts.

The ballot for the upcoming Nov. 6 General Election will take at least 20 to 30 minutes to complete if voters have not prepared by studying sample ballots or doing their homework to get informed about the 11 constitutional amendments and two Alachua County questions on the ballot.The ballot also asks voters to vote to retain three Florida Supreme Court justices and four Florida District Court of Appeal judges, along with the U.S. presidential race and a U.S. Senate race.In addition, the ballots of east Gainesville voters also will include races for the U.S. House of Representatives District 5, Florida Senate District 7, Florida House District 20, Alachua County sheriff, three Alachua County Commission seats and Alachua County School Board District 4. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 9.Early voting will take place from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Oct. 27-Nov. 3 at the Supervisor of Elections Office in the County Administration Building at 12 SE 1st St., the Millhopper Branch Library at 3145 NW 43rd St. and the Tower Road Branch Library at 3020 SW 75th St.The deadline to request absentee ballots is 5 p.m. Oct. 31. They must be returned either by mail or physically to the Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m. on Nov. 6, the day of the general election.Also, in an effort to get more residents to vote early, the African American Accountability Alliance of Alachua County, along with area churches, will be sponsoring "Empowerment Sunday" from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Bo Diddley Downtown Community Plaza in downtown Gainesville."We are hoping to get 300 churches out to vote that day," said Darry Lloyd, president of the 4As.Pam Carpenter, the county supervisor of elections, said she encourages voters to go to the elections office website at www.votealachua.com and click on the links to the Florida League of Women Voters Election Guide and the Collins Center for Public Policy Amendment Analysis, both of which Carpenter said offers nonpartisan analysis of the constitutional amendments on the ballot.She said voters also can use the website to access sample ballots by clicking on the "My Voter Information Page" in the upper right-hand corner of home page. That link allows voters to view their sample ballots after entering their last name, birthdate and house number."It is going to take voters 20 to 30 minutes to read the ballot if they wait until they get in the voting booth to read what is on the ballot," Carpenter said. "It is very important to read the ballot before you vote."Below is a look at six of the 11 amendments with a brief synopsis of each using information from the Florida League of Women Voters Election Guide. At the end of each synopsis is a recommendation by the 4As on how voters should cast their vote.Amendment No. 1: Deals with health care services and is more of a political referendum than a meaningful change to the Florida Constitution because the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year upheld the federal government's right to impose an individual mandate requiring people to buy health care insurance.The 4As recommend a "No" vote.Amendment No. 2: Allows disabled military veterans injured in combat to receive a homestead property tax discount.The 4As recommends a "Yes" vote.Amendment No. 3: Deals with state government revenue limitations. Sine 1995, Florida has set a cap on the revenue spending the state collects from taxes and fees imposed on everything from gasoline and tobacco sales to business licenses and auto titles. Any excess revenue above the cap is deposited in the state's rainy-day fund or returned to taxpayers rather than being spent by the governmentIf passed, the amendment will change the formula currently used to set the cap, which currently is based on personal income in the state. The new formula would be based on annual population growth and inflation. Those factors are considered less volatile than personal income growth and more likely to constrain growth in state revenues. Critics fear the strict revenue limits would affect spending on necessary services like schools and public safety. Supporters say the cap is needed to limit government spending.The 4As recommends a "No" vote.Amendment No. 4: Deals with property tax limitations, property value decline, reduction of non-homestead assessment increases and the delay of a scheduled repeal of the homestead exemption law. Among other things, the amendment will extend tax breaks to property owners and to first-time homebuyers. Also, the amendment will delay the repeal of the amendments adopted in 2008 to limit annual assessment increases for specific non-homestead property from 2019 to 2023.The 4As recommends a "No" vote.Amendment No. 5: Alters the balance of power among the judicial, legislative and executive branches of government. A major part of this amendment will grant the Florida Senate the power to confirm appointees to the Florida Supreme Court.The 4As recommend a "No" vote. Amendment No. 6: Deals with the prohibition of public funding of abortions and the construction of abortion rights. If passed, the amendment will put the same prohibitions in the Florida Constitution regarding public funding for abortions that are in the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits the funding for most abortions, with the most common exceptions being because of rape, incest and the threat to a mother's life.The 4As recommends a "No" vote.Lloyd, president of the 4As, said it is important for voters to get acquainted with the candidates, amendments and questions on the ballot."The important thing is that we want folks to not only exercise their right to vote, but to also take the time to get educated on all of the candidates and issues on the ballot," he said.

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